To marry or not to marry: A study of the dilemmas of HIV/AIDS Malay women in Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast states

Once, HIV/AIDS is associated with men, but now women have not been spared. In fact, the percentage of infection among women has increased significantly every year and at times exceeding that of men’s. Some of the women infected with HIV/AIDS have been divorced, some are already widowed by HIV / AIDS, and some are facing the dilemma of whether to marry or not to marry. This study took a closer look at this dilemma faced by Malay women infected with HIV/AIDS. Primary data were obtained from in-depth interviews of 20 HIV/AIDS women around Besut (Terengganu), Pasir Puteh, Bachok and Kota Bharu (Kelantan). The study found that 60 per cent of the women chose to live alone after a divorce or death of a husband to focus on themselves and family members. Another 40 per cent of the women chose to have spouses and remarry. The fact was, being single or remarried had a profound impact on the individual women themselves, whether in terms of social support, economic resources, protection, or stigmatisation and discrimination.